November Fitness Challenge Check In: Week 1 + 2

How is it possible that 11 days of November have already passed? Each new month seems to fly by quicker than the previous one! This month started out with a bang on our trip to New York City, and this past week has been spent playing catch up and trying to get myself back on track. Now that the New York City Marathon is behind me, I am really excited to make some progress on my November Fitness Challenge!

The goal for the November Fitness Challenge is to complete 1,000 minutes of exercise throughout the course of the month. This exercise can come in any form: walking, running, weight lifting, yoga, biking, etc. Your 1,000 minutes can be completed at any time (heck, you could workout for 1,000 minutes in one day if you really wanted to get it all over with). I like to break down my goals into more manageable chunks, so I’m able to check my progress along the way.

While this month only has 30 days, it is somehow weirdly spread out over 5 weeks. We’ve got three full weeks and two half weeks thrown in there, so dividing the total fitness goal for each week was a little tricky. Today brings us to the end of our second week, but the completion of only the first full week of the month.

Hopefully your workouts are right on track this month! It always seems easier to stay motivated when the challenge starts off strong. If I start off right on track, I have so much more motivation to continue my streak; whereas if I start off slacking skipping workouts gradually becomes easier and easier.

Let’s back track a little and catch up on the past 11 days of workouts for the challenge! The goal is to complete 1,000 minutes of exercise in November, which equals 16 hours and 40 minutes. The month is broken up into 5 weeks that are not all 7 days, so each week has its own goal based on length.

I knew the marathon would set me way ahead for this week, which is exactly what it did. This works out perfectly because I planned to rest completely for most of the days following the race. Week one goal = complete.

This week was almost a joke, but I knew this ahead of time when I planned the challenge. The marathon put me way ahead of schedule, for which I am very glad, because all that extra time was able to compensate for the time I spent resting this week. The day after the marathon my legs were incredibly sore – more sore than they have ever been before. On Monday morning I tried to get out of bed and panicked, realizing that I could not put any weight on my legs. They slowly loosened up with some stretching, fluids, and the help of two advil. I was able to fly home on Monday and have spent the rest of the days taking guilt free rest days. My toe suffered greatly during the marathon and had a HUGE blister all week.

Yesterday’s 5k was my first run and workout post-marathon. I was a little worried about how my legs would handle the run but they bounced back quickly, with a little stiffness. My toe is still black but I was able to force it in some tennis shoes for the first time all week and manage 3 miles. However, I will definitely be taking some more days off from running now until it heals, but plan to get back to regular cross training and strength training workouts this coming week.

NOVEMBER FITNESS CHALLENGE GOAL:

1,000 minutes = 16 hours, 40 minutes

NOVEMBER PROGRESS WEEK 1 + 2:

525 minutes = 8 hours, 45 minutes

After two weeks of the challenge, I am just about halfway complete with goal. I’m slightly ahead of where I need to be which gives me a little more leeway leading into these next few weeks. We have 2.5 weeks to go this month, and they are about to get really busy with the upcoming holidays.

I hope your November Fitness Challenge is off to a successful start! If you are looking for any workout ideas there is a great list here. Most of these workouts don’t require any extra supplies and can be done right in your living room. I am a huge fan on at-home workouts and can’t wait to get back in the game this next week!

Hopefully your Sunday is off to a great start! This is my favorite day of the week. Enjoy time relaxing with friends, family, and some great food.